


Tell Me First

by cloneclubbingcreampuff



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: F/F, mentions of bullying
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-14
Updated: 2016-04-14
Packaged: 2018-06-02 07:04:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,552
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6556582
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cloneclubbingcreampuff/pseuds/cloneclubbingcreampuff
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It befuddled Kara that such a thin disguise could make her feel so heavy, weighing down on her very bones, making her ache in ways she didn’t understand.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Tell Me First

The chill in the air invigorated Kara as she followed the sound of police sirens, moving towards the business district as the echoes of gunshots popped her eardrums. She pushed faster and dipped downwards, singling her target out. A black car going about 80 miles an hour, followed by an army of police cars. Undercover drug bust gone wrong, probably. 

Kara ignored the freezing wind as she flew closer, dodging street lamps and traffic lights. Weighing her options, she flew beside the black car, matching its speed. The driver noticed, and swerved a little before Kara pulled the driver’s door off of the car. Grabbing the driver by his collar, she tossed him into the back seat, then plopped herself into the driver’s seat and hit the brakes, ignoring the bullets bouncing off of her cape as the guy in the backseat shot at her. 

“Go ahead and get it out of your system, buddy,” she said without turning around, and smiled as she heard the click that signaled he was out of bullets. Several police officers came on the scene soon after, and she flew off, glad that the NCPD was starting to trust her again. 

After a few muggings, fires and the like, Kara decided it was time to call it a night. A sleep-deprived superhero was of no use to her city: something Kara had learned early on. She flew by the business district once more, and her eyes fell on the CatCo building out of habit, because she liked knowing that her safe haven was still standing, like a bastion of reliability in Kara’s crazy and unpredictable life. What she hadn’t expected to see was Cat Grant sitting in her office at this hour, since it was almost midnight and as far as Kara knew, Carter wasn’t with his dad this week. Which meant that Miss Grant was probably avoiding something. Carter had started high school last month, and her boss had definitely been more irritable lately. Kara wished she could be more involved in Carter’s life, but ever since her babysitting fiasco six months ago, Cat had been clear that it wouldn’t happen again.

Not for the first time, Kara wondered how much lighter she would feel if she just told Miss Grant who she was. It befuddled Kara that such a thin disguise could make her feel so heavy, weighing down on her very bones, making her ache in ways she didn’t understand. She was familiar with mourning; had experienced it during her whole childhood, and again when Astra had died. This feeling was something else, fusing her identities together until she couldn’t tell them apart. Wanting to tell Miss Grant was selfish, really; it wouldn’t protect her. It would only add to the number of dangers she faced as Queen of All Media. Didn’t she have enough problems?

These thoughts sat on a merry-go-round in Kara’s mind as she sped towards CatCo and landed on the balcony. She waited a few seconds before Miss Grant’s eyes latched onto hers, and then she opened the door, stepping into her office. It felt weird to just walk in without being invited, or called for in the shrill tone that Miss Grant had a tendency to use if she hadn’t had enough coffee.

Her voice now, though, was soft and inviting. "Supergirl,“ she greeted, glancing up from her desk with a small smile, then gestured to the screens behind her. "Impressive work tonight.” 

Kara’s eyes flicked to the screens. There she was, blowing out a fire with her freeze breath. She blushed as she thought of how often her boss sat in her office, watching her heroics, and cleared her throat, walking closer to the desk.

“Thank you,” she replied. "Is that why you’re still here?“

"I didn’t want to go home just yet,” Miss Grant spoke after a few moments. Moments in which Kara struggled to fight off the flush to her cheeks, and resolve to meet Miss Grant’s gaze head-on. She said nothing more, and Kara thought very carefully about what to say next. That was another thing that made the cape on her back feel like a huge burden. She could never reveal too much, could never relax.

“Is there anything I can help with?” Her voice sounded meek, which, in hindsight, was probably her first mistake.

Miss Grant stood up then, a flash of something like fury appearing in her eyes before it disappeared. Kara stiffened, reminding herself she was bulletproof as her boss stepped out from behind her desk.

“That sounds like something my assistant would say,” Miss Grant observed, her words measured. 

She wasn’t wrong; Kara Danvers would probably offer that kind of help. Supergirl and Kara were one and the same, no matter how much Kara tried to separate and compartmentalize them, for her own safety as well as everyone else’s. 

So much for that. This conversation definitely wasn’t safe; far from it.

 

—

 

Step 1 to making sure your boss doesn’t discover your secret identity while you’re having a conversation with her, during which you inadvertently offer help in a way that is decidedly un-superherolike? Calm down. Smile, nod, deflect. Relax. Relax. _Relax. ___

Kara was completely failing step 1.

What was worse was that Miss Grant seemed to sense it, and she smirked as she stepped over to her bar to pour herself a drink. She gestured to the bar and raised an eyebrow, and Kara shook her head jerkily and tried to get back on track.

“So, you don’t want my help then? Will you at least tell me what’s bothering you?”

“What makes you think something’s bothering me?”

“You never stay at work this late,” Kara blurted. Second mistake. "I-I mean, I make rounds a couple nights a week and I’ve never seen you stay here past ten. It’s almost midnight. I’m sure your son would want to know you’re home, safe.“ 'So would I,’ Kara almost added, but that was a sentence she was somehow able to keep locked behind her teeth, thank Rao.

"It seems to me like you’re making a lot of assumptions, Supergirl,” Miss Grant remarked. There was no trace of the fury that had occupied her expression moments before, but Kara braced herself as the other woman walked closer. "Why did you come here tonight?“

"Because I wanted to make sure you were all right,” Kara replied, studying the deep emerald color of her boss’s eyes. She’d never seen them from this close up, and the flash of curiosity and full attention she was receiving from Miss Grant made her head swim. 

Sadly, Miss Grant sighed and stepped back, ripping her warm gaze away, and without a word, she walked out to the balcony. Kara followed, concern bubbling up in her chest.

“Miss Grant?”

“My son is getting bullied at school.” Cat stayed statue-still, glancing out at the city lights. "At the beginning of the year, I told him to tell me if any kids decided to pick on him for whatever reason, but…I had to find out from his teachers that a certain sophomore girl in his class has been making fun of him. And I don’t know what to do, or how to stop it. I’ve talked to her parents, and had a long talk with his teachers. They’ll let me know if it happens again, but Carter doesn’t want me to interfere anymore. He says that only makes the bullying worse.“ 

"I can help. I can fix it.”

Miss Grant let out a humorless laugh. "Supergirl, not even you can fix everything.“

"I know. But I want to try.”

“Why?”

“Because I care about this city,” Kara answered, exasperated. "You know that. You know I want to stop bullying and I think it’s nasty that Carter doesn’t feel safe enough to tell anyone what’s happening. I want to change that. Give me a chance to try, please.“

Miss Grant turned, taking a sip of her drink–whiskey, judging by the smell–and then set it down on the balcony ledge. She gave Kara an assessing look, "Aren’t you exhausted?”

“Of helping people? No, I–”

“No. Of keeping up this ridiculous facade. Things would be so much easier, if you would just…tell me.” The last two words came out in a whisper, and Miss Grant huffed out a sigh and stomped over to the other side of the balcony, as if she couldn’t get far enough away. That stung, and Kara watched her figure and turned away for a moment, feeling the distance like a sharp stab to her gut.  
She should go. Just fly off into the night. Live another day to help people who actually wanted it, because if she stayed here, if she gave into the feeling threatening to devour her…

 _Why did you come here tonight?_

She didn’t know anymore.

 

—

 

Slowly, Kara made her way to where Miss Grant was standing, who was resolutely looking anywhere but at her. She didn’t know how she’d managed to mess everything up within the span of just a few minutes, but leaving felt too much like running away. And unless Kara wanted to quit her job, and move to another city, because Miss Grant wouldn’t just let her go without a fight (at least, Kara hoped she wouldn’t), there would be no way to escape. She wanted to help Carter, but not if it made Cat uncomfortable. 

“Do you want me to go?” 

“You know what I want,” came the reply, hard and angry. Still, Miss Grant didn’t turn. Kara felt her own irritation rising.

“You’ve already put it together, haven’t you?” she bit out. "Do I really have to say it? I–I’m just trying to protect you–“

Spinning around, Miss Grant grabbed Kara by the skin-tight material of her shirt and shook her, nearly vibrating with anger. "You don’t get to decide what I can and can’t handle,” she growled, fixing Kara with a fiery glare that usually preceded a job termination. "As far as you’re concerned, I don’t know anything. Because if I did, you’d have to change my mind again, correct? What would it be this time? A memory wipe? Mind control?“

"Stop,” Kara breathed, her hands coming up to touch Miss Grant’s arms. They were so close now, and even though it was weird and completely wrong, she couldn’t help but feel as though, maybe, this is why she visited Cat tonight. Cat, Miss Grant–she didn’t know how to distinguish the two, much like she didn’t know how to separate Kara Danvers, Kara Zor-El and Supergirl. Cat was right; this was exhausting.

Cat was looking at her now, surprised and curious, as if seeing her for the first time, and it was intoxicating. It gave Kara courage, and she let out a breath as the hand on her shirt fell away. Kara didn’t step back. Cat gazed up at her and arched an eyebrow.

Kara took a breath. "Are you going to call me by my actual name if I tell you who I am?“

Cat smirked, then chuckled softly. "Yes.”

“And you won’t fire me?”

“No. I’ve thought about it and there are worse things than having a superhero on my payroll.”

Kara rolled her eyes, slowly bringing her hands back to her sides. She’d almost forgotten that her hands had been gripping Cat’s arms. She cleared her throat and took a half step back, preparing herself for this, and what it would all mean. Alex would be mad, but Lucy would understand. Winn and James would probably be ecstatic, because it would mean they could come clean about what they use the room on the 20th floor for. It would be okay. J'onn would understand more than anyone else, probably. Life would go on, and maybe it would be better. Easier. 

“Fine,” she said finally, then waited a few more seconds, because seeing Cat squirm was something she found she kind of liked. "I’m Kara.“

And instead of making some comment like ‘Oh, I’m shocked,’ or 'Was that so hard?’ Cat just stepped forward, grabbed the top of her shirt again and pulled Kara’s lips to hers.

Kara let out a soft squeak of surprise before closing her eyes in embarrassment. The scorching flush to her cheeks came back with intensity, but that didn’t stop Kara from enjoying the fact that she was being thoroughly kissed with soft lips that tasted like cherry lip gloss and whiskey. It had been a while since she’d been kissed, much less kissed like this, with a tentative softness that bespoke hesitation mixed with a little bit of excitement, almost like Cat was shy about it. Cat let her set the pace, and gave a gasp of her own when Kara responded, glancing her fingers across Cat’s jawline. Let these be her third, fourth and fifth mistakes. She didn’t care anymore.

"Say my name,” Kara whispered, tearing her mouth away from Cat’s before her lips greedily claimed Kara’s again. Cat rocked into her, stepping closer. She grabbed Kara’s hands and placed them firmly on her hips, then reached up to grip Kara’s shoulder. 

“Kara,” she hummed into Kara’s mouth. "Kara,“ she whispered, nipping her earlobe. "Kara,” she said, like a prayer, a plea, into her throat. "Kara,“ she said once more, before Kara leaned down to kiss her again. 

"Is this my reward, then?” Kara asked a few moments later, and Cat groaned, stepping back.

“Too much talking,” she complained. "I’ve waited a long time for this, Kara, and I want to make the most of it.“

Kara let out a laugh; she couldn’t help it. "So you’re saying you’ve been planning this? I mean, if I had told you sooner, you would have…made out with me on your balcony?”

“Yes,” Cat replied, bringing her hand up to brush some hair away from Kara’s face. Her smirk had returned, and Kara wanted nothing more than to kiss it away. "I was waiting for you to be honest with me, because I don’t kiss liars.“

"Oh.”

“Yes. 'Oh’ seems to be an appropriate word to describe this whole evening,” Cat deadpanned, before settling herself into Kara’s embrace once more, and bringing her lips to hers. It was chaste, lazy, and lasted a few minutes, neither of them getting enough of the other, until Cat finally pulled back, her eyes dark.

“I think, before you go,” she said firmly, even as she was entangled in Kara’s arms, “we should discuss Carter. I would like to stop the bullying at his school, if I can. And all schools, ideally, but unfortunately we’ll have to start small.”

Kara nodded, wondering if she should step back, because the feeling of her boss’s body pressed into hers was highly distracting. She tried to take a small step back, but Cat didn’t move her arms one inch. 

Kara hid her smirk and met Cat’s eyes. "We could start a campaign, or something? I mean, I think most kids know Supergirl is against bullying, and I don’t want to guilt trip them or whatever, because in my experience that doesn’t really work, but…I mean, I don’t think we’ll be able to completely stop it, Cat.“

"I know,” Cat admitted. "But I want to protect my son.“

"We will,” Kara promised. "Together.“

**Author's Note:**

> I can't stop writing fluff for these two, I swear. I've tried writing angst but Kara and Cat are too precious and I can't bring myself to hurt them. Also, those bullies at Carter's school don't stand a chance :)


End file.
